Into the Matrix
by ARandomDay
Summary: When he awakens within a massive computer simulation without any clues to his past, Spencer must play a game where vicious monsters fight brutally to the death, and his life is tied to the monsters that every NPC is trying to kill. A Black Nuzlocke novelization.
1. Chapter 1

"Ungh..."  
I woke up with a sour taste in my mouth. My head ached, and my memories of the previous night had all but deserted me.  
A bottle of rum on the table beside me held some clues. Then I realized something. Two somethings, in fact:  
One. I wasn't an alcoholic.  
Two. I had no idea where I was.  
I leaped out of bed. I was already fully clothed, which surprised me. On the table was a note. I picked it up.

"Dear Spencer,  
Congratulations on deciding to participate. You have been fully prepared for your journey. Please note a few things:  
1. Your memory is missing. That is because you volunteered to join the simulation. Once complete, your amnesia will be cured.  
2. In order to complete the simulation, you must take part in what is known as the Pokemon League Challenge. You will explore the area, train Pokemon, and compete against eight Gym Leaders. Once you have defeated all eight Gyms, you will be obliged to compete in the Elite Four. Upon defeating said group, the simulation will be complete.  
3. You can only catch the first Pokemon you see in each area(However, due to its borders, Pinwheel Forest counts as two separate areas).  
4. Your Pokemon can and WILL die over the course of the simulation. Be sure to keep them healthy and strong. If your team completely fails and you have no reserves, you will be pulled from the simulation immediately. The trauma of removal may kill you-or at best, horribly cripple you. So don't fail.  
5. To further challenge your skills, you may only purchase basic items. All stronger items must be trashed or sold as soon as possible.  
6. We will know if you break the rules. So don't, unless you have a death wish. Here is a demonstration."

As soon as I read it, I looked up. A loud crash shook the room, and the roof was forcibly removed by something. As it flew off, I continued reading, convinced of their powers. Whoever THEY were.

"7. Do not mention to ANY of the programs that this is a simulation.  
8. Failure to comply with the above rules will result in removal from the simulation, which, as stated in Article 4, may kill or cripple you.  
Good luck. You may now choose a Pokemon."

As if on cue, the note vanished. In its place was a gift-wrapped box. I unwrapped and opened the box. Inside rested three red and white. I gazed at them, mulling over the situation.  
What was a Pokemon? Why on earth had I joined such a crazy thing voluntarily? Was I currently wrapped in stasis, lying somewhere? Or was I just insane, babbling to myself in a mental ward? I only knew one thing for sure. This was madness.

I picked up a ball.  
The box disappeared.  
I tossed the ball. A green snake-like thing popped out. It looked around and noticed me.  
Suddenly, voices chimed out from over my shoulder.  
"Gaaah!" I screamed, turning while trying to run forward, which resulted in me falling on my ass.  
"Oh, Spencer. What a silly thing to do!"  
A girl in a green beret-like thing giggled at me. Next to her stood a nerdy-looking fellow with a crisp jacket and glasses. His hair went all over the place. They looked normal, but when I looked closely, all of the colors on their bodies seemed to be made from pixels. As I looked around the room, it became clear that everything was 64-bit.  
"And you are?" I inquired, trying to sound cool but sounding scared.  
"Oh. You must've hurt your head or something. Remember? I'm Bianca, and this is Cheren. We're your _best friends_."  
As she said this, she and Cheren leered at me. I scrambled to my feet. Meanwhile, Cheren and Bianca were talking. They turned and said in unison:"Let's battle!"

" Uh, I don't know how to battle," I stalled.  
"C'mon Spencer, of course you do. How else did you throw that Pokeball so expertly?" Bianca pointed out.  
In all honesty, I was aiming to throw it out the open ceiling and make a break for it. But it opened up and a green snake thing appeared.  
"So, let's battle!" exclaimed Bianca. She threw her ball and a funny little creature appeared. It was like a sea otter, but with a blue coloration, a clown-like nose and a shell on its belly. It also had little platypus feet and a tail. I stared at it.  
The snake turned and hissed, "Well? Come on, Trainer," in a smooth voice.  
I stared at it in shock. That snake had just talked. Upon further examination, it was like a plant had fused with the thing- all in 64-bit. I was now ready to admit that I was bonkers.  
The otter bellowed, "Bring it, Savio!"  
My eye twitched.  
The snake, whose name was apparently Savio, replied, "Sorry, Oskar, don't want to humiliate you."  
It turned again. "Dammit, give me a command!"  
I shrugged helplessly.  
The snake's beady eyes rolled. It snorted, "Useless," and glared at the otter. The otter, Oskar, took a step back. As it retreated, Savio launched itself at it, knocking Oskar into the wall. It picked itself up and gave Savio his own medicine. I watched, shocked, as the two creatures blitzed themselves into each other. What was more shocking was that Cheren and Bianca were cheering the two on.  
Savio slammed Oskar into the wall again, and Oskar collapsed. Bianca pulled out her 'Pokeball'. With a flash of red light, Oskar disappeared. Bianca put the ball away. She eyed me, asking, "Well? Aren't you going to return your Snivy?"  
"Um, it said its name was Savio," I pointed out, as I copied her motions to place Savio in his ball.  
Bianca giggled. "Oh Spencer, Pokemon don't talk!"  
"But-"  
"Pokemon don't talk, right Cheren?" She turned to the nerd. He nodded. "Looks like your bump to the head was more serious than we thought. And so is the damage to the room!"  
I looked around. The room was in shambles. The TV was cracked, the desk shattered, several indents in the wall vied for attention, and little pawprints were everywhere.  
"Uh-oh!"  
"Bianca, couldn't you and Spencer have been a little more careful?"  
"Sorry," Bianca pouted. Then she brightened. "Hey, why don't you and Spencer battle? With your knowledge, you can do better than me!  
Cheren seemed to like the idea. "But first," he said, "I should heal your Pokemon."  
Cheren took our Pokeballs and sprayed a fine mist from a bottle onto them. "There," he said. "That should do it."  
Cheren took out his Pokeball. I took a look around and retrieved mine.  
Cheren's Pokemon appeared. It was relatively normal, except for its jack-o-lantern-esque color scheme and the little ball on the end of its tail.  
"Savio," grunted the pig.  
"Terrence," lisped Savio. They attacked.  
Savio made short work of the pig. A few tackles and it was down for the count. I was horrified and amazed by these cockfights, but the others acted like it was no big deal.  
"Okay, we better apologize to your mom for this room," Cheren pointed out.

I followed them downstairs to see an unfamiliar woman. She acted as if she knew us all really well. When we explained the room, she just shrugged it off and sent us outside to meet some famous professor.  
Bianca headed straight, while I followed Cheren to a small laboratory in the corner of the four-house town. When we reached, Cheren simply blocked the door, asking me to check on Bianca. I tried to get around, but he was like a wall. Finally, I was forced to take the path Bianca took. I ended up outside her house. I knocked on the door, which swung open. I stepped in and watched as Bianca confronted her father. The two were at odds over something. Some kind of journey.  
When Bianca saw me, she lowered her hat in embarrassment. "It was nothing, Spencer. Let's go."  
I followed her back to the lab where Cheren waited. When he saw us, he ushered us in.  
Inside stood a older woman who was surprisingly hot for her age. She exclaimed, "Bianca, Spencer, Cheren, you're here! Good! My name is-"  
"Professor Juniper," Cheren interrupted.  
"Not bad," Juniper nodded. "Now, I've called you here for a very special reason."  
"The Pokedex, right?" Cheren asked.  
"My, my! You are quite well read! But for formalities' sake, let me explain."  
Juniper showed us a red and black PDA. "This is a Pokedex. It's a high-tech encyclopedia. When you catch a Pokemon, it automatically updates data on that Pokemon. That's why I called you here. I want to ask you to go out and catch all of the Pokemon in the Unova Region for me. What do you say?"  
"Yes!" Cheren and Bianca enthusiastically said, drowning me out.  
"Great! Meet me at Route 1!" said the professor. "But first, let me see your Pokemon."  
She carefully examined the three creatures, and her face lit up. "I heard you already battled with them. Maybe that's why they seem to trust you."  
"Doubtful," I heard the three Pokemon say in unison.  
"How about nicknaming them?" asked Juniper. Cheren and Bianca nodded.  
"Spencer?"  
"Uh, sure."  
"I swear, if you don't name me Savio, I will kill you!" the snake hissed.

Five minutes later, the newly christened snake curled around my neck threateningly. "All right. Let's do this."  
When I discovered the entrance to Route 1, Cheren and Bianca forced me to take a large single step with them.  
We stepped out onto a field of trees and grass. Every blade and leaf was a perfect copy of the blade and leaf next to them.  
Juniper stood waiting.  
"All right, you're here. Let me show you how to catch Pokemon."  
Juniper stepped into the grass. Suddenly, the world flashed white, and went black.  
When my sight returned, Juniper was facing a packrat with hypnotic eyes. She threw a Pokeball, and a cute little grey mouse appeared.  
"Pound!" Juniper ordered. The rabbit laid a karate chop onto the packrat, which growled threateningly. The rabbut karate chopped it again. Then Juniper returned it to her Pokeball. She pulled out another Pokeball and threw it at the packrat. The ball swallowed up the packrat and shook thrice. Then it clicked shut.  
"And that is how you catch a Pokemon!"  
Cheren and Bianca clapped appreciatively. The professor had us draw closer. She then thrust Pokeballs and a Pokedex into our hands.  
"I'm counting on you!" the professor called, walking down the path.  
"Hey, I have an idea!" exclaimed Bianca  
"Stomp on it before it gets away!" Cheren said.  
"No, really. Let's try to catch as many Pokemon as possible. Whoever has the most wins!"  
"Okay," said Cheren. "It sounds good, and will fill up the Dex."  
The two walked off.  
I took a tentative step into the grass, and the world flashed black.

**Hello Internet!**

**My name is ARandomDay. Some of you may have already read my previous tale, Experiment 505.**

**This fanfiction is also being posted on the Nuzlocke Forum as "Into the Matrix". Updates will be posted earlier and more frequently there, so if you have an account, check it out.**

**Read and review. Criticism welcomed.**

**ARandomDay out. Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

A large puppy stood in front of me, snarling angrily. It leaped. I fell back and threw a Pokeball at it. The ball opened up to reveal Savio. He expertly grabbed the puppy and headbutted it. The puppy fell back, dazed.  
"Well?" Savio snarled. "Catch it!"  
I hesitantly took out another Pokeball. Savio impatiently gestured to the stunned canine. I gave a weak lob at the dog. The ball emitted a flash of red light, which absorbed the dog. Then it flew back into my hand. A screen of some sort emerged:  
"Give a nickname to the male Lillipup?"  
Below it hovered a digi-keyboard. Letters started filling themselves in. The screen beeped confirmation, and out popped the vicious, bloodthirsty... Gunther. Gunther leaped against my leg and started licking it.  
"Oh boy! Adventure time!" he barked. "Let's do this!"  
Gunther soon became more serious. "All right. I assume you are part of the simulation?"  
I gaped.  
"Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. Truth is, I've been an integral part since the beginning. My program name is GUNT-space-R. I know why you are here, and how to help you escape. That whole bloodthirsty thing isn't really me, it's just my testing code. Now, do you want to leave?"  
I nodded.  
"Then follow my instructions! First, let's train. The simulation changes every time, so even I have no idea how this will play out.  
So train us. Here, I'll show you how."  
With that, Gunther leaped into battle with a packrat. He viciously tackled it to unconsciousness. With the packrat down, I heard a beep. Gunther grinned. "Ah! I leveled up. Good! You see, Spencer-yes, I know your name- training against the native wildlife helps us grow stronger and learn new techniques. Now, let's begin."  
With that, we began to train.  
Gunther and Savio threw themselves at the local packrats with a passion. When the carnage was done, Gunther was happily gnawing on corpses, while Savio tore them apart with vines growing from his shoulder collars. "This is the fundamentals of grinding! You see, I learned Bite, whilst your companion Snivy-"  
"Savio" interjected said companion.  
"Yes, Savio, learned Vine Whip. See? Training improves your chances of making it out alive. And I hope you do. You seem a likable fellow, unlike that other Spencer... I actually enjoyed dying that time, just to speed his demise along. But that's another story. For now, follow me to the next town!"  
Gunther dashed off, Savio in close pursuit, leaving me to mull over just what I had gotten myself into while staring at packrat bodies.

I encountered Cheren and Bianca, who for some reason were simply standing at the edge of the route. They compared Pokemon with me, and bolted towards a cluster of buildings in the north.  
I followed them carefully, and stumbled upon a sign.  
"Welcome to Accumula Town", it read.  
I looked past the sign.  
It wasn't a town.  
At best, it could be considered a park of sorts.  
Small, sparsely dotted apartments, and a plaza marked this 'town'.  
"Spencer! How are you?" The woman from before, Juniper, stood eagerly. She waved and greeted me. While she talked, I tuned her out and looked behind her.  
A bright, orange-roofed building stood out. An icon suspiciously like the red orbs strapped to my waist identified it as some sort of market. It looked quite nice, until I saw how it was composed entirely of pixels. It was unnerving, and looking down at myself was even more unnerving. I was forced to return my attention to the building as I realized that Juniper was quite literally dragging me inside. I fought to extricate myself to no avail.  
Inside, Juniper gave me the grand tour. As she gushed over the stalls and something called a Pokemon Center, where my fighting monsters could be healed free of charge, all I was thinking was that this structure was bigger on the inside.  
I needed no further proof to know that I was on some kind of massive drug trip. I swore to myself then and there that whatever funky stuff I was taking would be taken no more as soon as I escaped this weird dream.  
Juniper forced me to hand over Savio and Gunther's enslavement orbs to the nurse behind the counter. She placed them on a large machine that looked like a cross-section of an iron lung. They flashed, and the nurse handed them back to me, bidding me to return soon.  
Juniper let me go.  
I cautiously walked out. When I did, it was nighttime. Cheren was standing there.  
"Hey Spencer, come listen to this."  
He led me over to the plaza. A large crowd was gathered, and standing atop a raised platform were people who looked like a group of LARPers. They were dressed in white robes with an ornate 'P' symbol on their chests.  
I had a really strange imagination.  
At the head of the LARPers was a man in a flashy robe decorated with images of eyes. A jeweled collar laced it, while his left eye was underneath a red, oddly shaped monocle. He spoke, and the crowd hushed as if they knew he was someone important.  
"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."  
The crowd stirred uneasily. I, for one, was intrigued by how well my drug trip was constructing this experience.  
"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth? Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our "partners" at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"  
The crowd whispered among itself. I, for one, was all for Pokemon liberation. After what I had seen Gunther and Savio do to those packrats, vegetarianism was also something I wished to take part of. I vowed to join an animal rights group after this drug trip was over.  
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon?"  
"Free them?" called a voice from the crowd. I searched for the source but couldn't locate it. I called out, "Free them!"  
A few other voices in the crowd took up the chant. It didn't take hold, but the crowd certainly buzzed.  
"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals. Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention."  
For a LARPer, Ghetsis had an engaging argument. He strode offstage, followed by his LARPers. The crowd dispersed. Cheren turned to me. He said, "Do you believe in Pokemon liberation?"  
I nodded my head. He gaped.  
"Really? But Pokemon are our friends. We cooperate and collaborate to improve all of our lives. Tell you what, why don't you go fight a couple of Gyms first? Once you have the Insect Badge, I'll ask you again. If you still feel that way, I'll help you release your Pokemon."  
Cheren walked off, deep in thought. I watched him go, and thought about it. Then I wondered what he meant by fighting gyms. And what was an Insect Badge?  
My thoughts were interrupted when my enslavement orbs shook and released my Pokemon. Gunther and Savio stared up at me.  
"So, you heard Ghetsis' speech. What do you think?"  
I gave Gunther a look. He stared at me, his surprisingly detailed eyes showing surprise.  
"You really believe Pokemon should be liberated? This doesn't follow the rules at all!"  
"What your Pokemon said... it intrigued me."  
We turned. A boy wearing grey pants, a black bracelet, a Menger sponge necklace, and a black cap that rested atop startlingly green hair was staring at me.  
We locked eyes briefly, and I got the feeling that I knew this person.  
Then he tackled me in a hug.

**ARandomDay here**.

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